British Prime Minister Tony Blair faces further pressure today to quit sooner rather than later after he confirmed he would stand down within 12 months but refused to set a precise date.
Mr Blair said yesterday he would resign within a year but his failure to name a leaving date is unlikely to satisfy some Labour rebels, disillusioned by a spate of scandals and by Mr Blair's stance on Iraq and the recent war in Lebanon.
Tony Blair
Union activists are revolting against his leadership. The head of the TUC warned of the dangers of "prolonged uncertainty," while Derek Simpson, general secretary of Amicus, said Mr Blair should have resigned already and warned that Labour would lose the next general election unless changes were made.
A survey of 1,000 Amicus activists showed three out of four wanted an immediate change of leadership, blaming Mr Blair's "indifference" to repeated warnings of grass roots alienation.
An opinion poll in the Daily Telegraphnewspaper suggested 58 per cent of Britons now want Mr Blair to resign before the end of the year and 44 per cent as early as this month.
Another poll conducted Channel 4 last night showed that 38 per cent of Labour Party members want him to resign as early as this autumn, and a further 21 per cent want him to go before local elections next May.
Bookmaker William Hill slashed its odds on Blair quitting before the end of 2006.
However, many newspapers said today that in making his announcement, Mr Blair may have done enough to placate his most likely successor - Chancellor Gordon Brown - at least for the time being.
Some newspapers said the two men, who have worked together for years but have a tense relationship, had agreed a deal under which Mr Blair would unveil his resignation date next February and then bow out in May, allowing Mr Brown to take over by June.